WAYNE COUNTY, Mich — President Joe Biden joined striking auto workers on the UAW picket lines in Wayne County Tuesday.
Tuesday marks the 12th day of the UAW's strike against the Big Three auto companies in Detroit.
President Biden's move to walk alongside picketing auto workers is a break from the norm and reinforces the president's claim that he is the most pro-union president in modern American history.
“This is absolutely unprecedented. No president has ever walked a picket line before,” said Erik Loomis, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and an expert on U.S. labor history. Presidents historically “avoided direct participation in strikes. They saw themselves more as mediators. They did not see it as their place to directly intervene in a strike or in labor action.”
Michigan politicians issued statements ahead of the president's arrival in the state.
“UAW workers sacrificed to keep our auto industry afloat in 2008 and 2009. Now, they’re asking for their fair share of the success that auto companies have experienced in recent years. I was proud to stand on the picket lines with the UAW on Day 1 and 2 of this strike, and I’m happy to have President Biden in Michigan fighting in solidarity alongside workers. This fight is not only about UAW workers getting the wages, benefits, and job security they deserve — it’s about fighting for the future of the American middle class.”
“President Biden’s visit to Michigan, home of the Big Three, to support our world-class autoworkers is historic,” said Governor Whitmer. “The president is committed to strengthening our workforce and economy by bringing jobs home from overseas, reversing trends of the previous administration that lost jobs. Since taking office, we've announced 36,000 auto jobs with help from President Biden’s investments, proving it’s possible to support working men and women, while also securing record-breaking economic development deals that will guarantee jobs and investment for decades.”
“President Biden’s visit to Michigan shows the world that this president supports working families,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “Governor Whitmer and I are grateful for the historic investments the Biden-Harris administration has made to help us bring supply chains home from overseas, restore workers’ rights to collectively bargain for safer workplaces and higher wages, create high-skilled, high-tech, good-paying jobs, and cement Michigan as the best place to innovate the future. We are grateful for the partnership of the Biden Administration, and we will continue to stand tall for working people in communities across Michigan.”
Former President Donald Trump will be visiting striking auto workers on Wednesday in lieu of the second Republican Presidential Debate.
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